Govt to spend Rs 3,200 crore on cancer centres in all district hospitals

DHR gets special enhancement of Rs 531 crore for first year of ICMR's five-year strategic plan

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday informed that an estimated expenditure of Rs 3,200 crore will be allocated to establish day-care cancer centres (DCCCs) in more than 740 district hospitals in India within the next three years.

 

Of these, 200 centres will be set up in 2025-26. Commenting on the same, health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that the ministry has already started a survey of all district hospitals to assess gaps.

 

“The move aims to increase quality cancer care for more people, especially in rural areas, and reduce the current burden on tertiary care centres, allowing them to focus on more complex cases,” she said at a press briefing highlighting provisions for the health ministry in the Union Budget.

 

 

The Department of Health Research (DHR), under the health ministry, announced that apart from an 18 per cent increase in allocation, it has received a special enhancement worth Rs 531 crore for the first year of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) five-year Viksit Bharat strategic plan.

 

The five-year plan includes six main verticals: developing indigenous healthcare technologies such as cell and gene therapy, finding solutions for resistant health problems, developing digital and AI solutions in health, translating research evidence into action, pandemic preparedness, and improving the global ranking of Indian institutions in medical research.

 

Two bulk drug, three medical device parks expected to be operational in FY26

 

Addressing the briefing, pharma secretary Amit Agrawal said that two bulk drug parks in Gujarat’s Bharuch and Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle are expected to be operational in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26).

 

He added that FY26 will also see the operationalisation of three medical device parks, approved with support of Rs 100 crore each. “These include medical device parks in Greater Noida, Ujjain, and Kancheepuram,” he said.

 

Agrawal added that proposals to grant funds to 125 startups to the tune of Rs 1 crore each and 39 industrial research and development projects (up to Rs 100-125 crore) will be invited soon, with total assistance amounting to Rs 4,250 crore.